Three or Four Important Things about the New Drake Video

Last night was a really good night for hot Canadian guys and all who love them. First, Conservative Party prime minister Steven Harper was kicked out of office in a decided rout, which led to the election of the Liberal Party’s Justin Trudeau. Who is Justin Trudeau? Besides being very good looking, Justin Trudeau is the son of former Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau and his wife Margaret, about whom my father once said whilst recounting to me the nights he spent at Studio 54: “She was one hell of a dancer.” All of which is to say, congratulations, Canada. Now let’s talk about Drake.

The video for “Hotline Bling” dropped last night and along with everyone else on the Internet, I have now watched it approximately an infinite number of times. Now, this might seem ridiculous! The video has already been called, on Pitchfork, “a pretty minimal clip,” due to the fact that it consists mainly of Drake dancing in a cube and sitting on a staircase, some scenes with women dancing, alone and with Drake, as well as opening and closing clips of a women-staffed call center. But simply because something is minimalist in its presentation, that hardly means its simplistic or that its impact can’t be profound. Obviously. Such is the case with “Hotline Bling,” with which Drake has just proven himself to be the Donald Judd of music videos.

And while I think analyzing it too carefully would miss the point, and take some of the joy out of watching the video, I also think it’s important to call out the three or four most important parts of “Hotline Bling.” Which are, in no particular order:

The Water Cooler: Who even thinks that much about water coolers anymore? That archetypal office “water cooler moment” has almost disappeared thanks to the rise of Gchat and Skype as methods of intraoffice communication. And yet the water cooler remains an indispensable part of any office, if only for the intermittent auditory glugs it releases, which mark the passage of time on interminably long days.

October: Drake’s commitment to the month of his birth is admirable (obviously), but it’s hyper apparent in this video thanks to, first, the fact that he’s given us a present in the form of this video, and, second, he wears one of his label’s Owl sweatshirts, to further drive home the fact that fall—prime sweatshirt wearing time—is the ideal season, and October is its best month.

Turtlenecks: Drake’s turtleneck sweater could not be more aligned with my entire fashion philosophy of the moment. I could actually watch Drake dancing in that turtleneck, sweatpants and Timberlands all day. In fact, I think I just might. Thanks, Canada!